Oh what a beautiful morning! (Cancelled Czech).

[Bear]

Well, today has gone well. Off to Peterborough to collect Keith to do some car swapping around, his Saab carked it on the A14.

 

Got home, found the BMW was back to having a fit with the LCM and lights on/off/not working/random errors on the dash.

 

Then got a text - the Skoda Fun has decided to conk out on the M1.

 

Given that Keith is off collecting something French, I can only see today improving.

 

Plus point, the early 2000s Renault has so far been the most reliable thing in all of this.

[Bear]

I am absolutely not going anywhere in the MGF today, that's for sure.

[Bear]

So the verdicts are in!

 

Yesterday's car shenanigans gets 3/10. Keith's Saab 9000 appears to have a dead fuel pump - I've checked voltages, fuses, relays and applied 12V directly to it and it seems to be the conclusion anyway. Serious CBA kicking in to remove that pump, it looks horrid to deal with.

 

The BMW LCM started behaving again, but has stopped now.

 

Keith had more success later with a Xantia V6 but I didn't get to see it. Probably best, it's an auto, I'd want to steal it.

 

I moved the 300CE around and realised how much I love W124s and how lovely the coupé looks.

 

The guy with the Skoda explained what happened, the timing belt snapped. I feel incredibly sorry for him on that score, but it does mean the BMW is still here and still available. For followers of the blue forum, the Skoda was S300 FUN. I'm sure it will resurface again, the Polo 1.6 engine isn't bad for belts is it?

 

Today's trip was far more successful, taking the Avantime out on a run to Hinckley to get a replacement for Jen's A-class as I'm fairly defeated by the stripdown of the hub for now. One of those fantastic, proper banger cars, a lovely bloke had bought it from a dealer as a cheap car to save wear on his new high-spec Mercedes estate, and then had maintained it at a cost far in excess of running said Mercedes. £395 for a 123,000 mile 9-3 hatch with good autobox (serviced this year, too), nice, tight, straight tracking and good ride, clean and almost totally perfect interior (downmarks, a broken gear selector sliding dustcover, and a handle off on the driver's seat), working climate control and four good, matching tyres. It even has decent lacquer on the bodywork, just a broken antenna and manky clearcoat on the rear bumper to let it down.